Woodward, Robert Burns (1917-1979), an American chemist, won the 1965 Nobel Prize in chemistry for his work in synthetic organic chemistry. This field involves combining chemical elements and compounds to duplicate substances found in nature or to produce compounds not found in nature. Woodward developed methods for making such organic (carbon-containing) compounds as chlorophyll, cortisone, and quinine. He also determined the molecular structures of Aureomycin, Terramycin, and other complex compounds.
Woodward was born in Boston and earned a Ph.D. degree in chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He taught at Harvard University from 1941 until his death.
